Paul Ruinaard

https://en.brujulabike.com/tragedy-at-the-absa-cape-epic-2025-a-rider-dies-during-the-competition/ Not sure if it has been discussed but if it has sorry for the reppost however here is some details of the fatality thta was rumoured but now confirmed. RIP the rider. Very sad.

You need to understand how the camera flattens those ascents and descents. They are crazy steep and super cambered with gravel and everything trying to push you off line. Very tough and very risky. Also get in to the mindset of an epic rider. The costs, effort and sacrifices you have made are monumental. Anything that causes you to fall or is a risk you avoid. So that stuff you would normally ride you walk because if you take a risk and screw it up you take your team out and potentially end both of your races. I can tell you, you start to think and ride very differently and worry more about the long game than acing a technical section.

At my house in Paarl today in the sun at 13:14. You could see then it was very dangerous then. . I saw 41,5 in the car at the same time

so just checking whether the stage has officially been stopped. Where can we see that and what happens to those that were still out on the course?

I am in Paarl - I had 46,8 Centigrade on my outside thermometer on my deck in the sun at Midday today. 41,5C in the car. Thats pretty much a recipe for disaster. Brutal conditions and really always the back markers who will be out there. Not much moving air and on Paarl mountain you will be baked to well done in minutes.

Maybe its the prominent badge they give you to mount in a place on your bars and display to all your mates which is the real value to the members. Like vanity plates - why ?

FWIW my 2 cents worth. The answer is crime pays handsomely. I always look at the biggest ransomware rings in the world and they are all young guys driving Lamborghinis and living like gods in ultra lavish lifestyles. Like Mr Tate and his brother. Dont care who the targets are - hospitals etc all fair game. If you interview mosty of disadvanteged and undeerprivileged youth in South africa the majority would swap their eye teeth to be a big man like Zuma or Mugabe etc. Irrespective of the morality about it. Gangsters in CTN live the good life. Great career path for a lightie. Short rise to the top. Short and quick bright shine and short and quick fall. Extreme violence and a misguided and unfortunate upnringing an asset. As you say - life expectancy is always short but hey live fast, die young and have a good looking corpse seems to be the mantra of a lot of the world. Trump is IMO adding flames to this little conflagartion with his robber baron everything for sale attitude - we will surely live in interesting times

HI, i have just upgraded to Garmin 8 and the prices on Amazon.co.za were by far the best. Don't need nor want the fancy bells and whistles like solar and titanium and sapphire etc. Local purchases owing to warranty suport as well. Just FYI - use or lose..

Get yourself the epic ride weather app. Take your road bike an enjoy theres not many bad rides from Kalk Bay but plan so you return with the wind. You forecast a route based on the date, time and speed you are going and it gives you a nice view of what to expect. Being a local now ex Gauteng this app is my bible. And beware under estimating a 12 to 15 kmh SE wind on your return ride if its straight in to you. THe wind speeds in CTN are measured in constant wind speeds with gusts up higher so you will feel the wind much more. Normally the wind is lower in the morning early so plan accrodingly but the SE is basically always blowing so plan out in to the wind and a nice cruise home. Enjoy. Some of the most beautiful routes in the country are there.

Good question and its a bit of an approximation and not an accurate science. I got a digital gauge and compared the readings on the pump vs the gauge assuming it was more accurate and since then have compensated. So for example my floor pump at 2 bars on the dial is at 1,9 on the digital gauge so i assume its at 1,9 and top it up a bit if i want 2 bars. I am not that fast nor is it that important but it can be material. My one pump was very out - like 25%.

WRT Tire pressure and punctures and the like something to think about - my 2 cents worth - use it or lose it. I found this app BTW: https://silca.cc/en-in/pages/pro-tire-pressure-calculator?srsltid=AfmBOop3BURojAdUumlLtjsRq0_94rSY3ipbUpY6CDQy3bagSwgep-Tj TBH most people over pressure their tires - always an extra stroke or so of the pump for good luck. I was always over pressuring but its a mixed bag with pressure in tires, and if you get it right you should also avoid punctures : 1.) Is your pump guage accurate - most arent and once they have been knocked about a bit with age and the like and they definitely arent. You need to know how much it under or over reads. But its likely its wrong. .2 bar on a 1,8 bar inflation is over 10%. 2.) Do you pump your tires just prior to the ride - most people do their tire pressures the night before and in the morning the tire has deflated a bit especially tubeless. Do it before you ride. 3.) How old are your tires - if you are getting repeated punctures then maybe you are in need of new tires. Normally one plug is okay but multples indicate the tire is toast. Tires also age and crack and certain products make them less pliable. they are expensive but they need to be replaced. If you are racing rather than riding a puncture screws up your race. 4.) As per the other thread what sealant are you using. Stans race is brilliant but double the price. Finally I will say a set of gravel 42 mm tires runnnig tubeless and properly inflated are much plusher and softer on my body as they add a level of deflection which cushions the ride and also allows them to deform around sharp edges. Its crazy good when you get it right but a bit too much turns the ride in to bone jarring and rough. I have broken hubs from very high pressure when the shock just gets transmitted in to the wheel. Use it or don't. Punctures are part of riding. Tubeless solved the smaller puncture dilemna very well but it has its own set of issues. Finally as an old dog you must know how many rides I changed two tubes or more on in the past when you were unlucky. PLugs are so much easier and simpler to do.

me as well

Having used most of them Stans Dart seems to be to me the best ever. Swear by them. But the real thing i found is ensure your tyres have fresh sealant in them - i have only found myslef plugging when i have neglected this.

I would debate your assertions also having done many years as well on many formats and also seen the stats on the road about the majority is the guy who did not see you from behind something like a Garmin Varia makes a hell of a difference. Because it changes pattern and intensiies. Same with Garmin headlights. Clearly you cant avoid a distracted driver or a person who conciously decides to ignore you - lights arent going to help much. BUT my experience has shown lights during the day makea difference - especialy strobing lights. Just this last weekend I had a car pull out to overtake in to the group of oncoming cyclists I was in which then aborted and i can only assume it was because of a strobing headlights. Decided against it. Without the headlights the chances are he would have gone ahead as maybe he had not seen us. Its like the guy says - you can't stop and ask him whether he would have done something that would have hurt or killed you but you also may have saved that from happening and for me that is enough. However having spent lots of time on motorbikes you learn front lights make a difference. Hi Viz vests etc all add to it. As do different coloured lights outside of what you normally expect oncoming or receding. Defensive rdiing also teaches you that people pay attention to strobing lights or lights that move side to side - which is why advanced motorcycling tells you to waggle the steering slightly and move your lights when approaching an intersection if there is a car crosisng from a T junction as this will get the atention of someone who may be tired or distracted or not paying attention. If I flash a light at you or move it side to side you will likely pay it attention and notice there is a bike behind it or a group of cyclists and that may make you think twice about running the light, stopping or overtaking. And that may be all it takes to avoid the next possible outcome of an accident. TBH I dont know how many times my little front strobing light has saved me - maybe none - maybe many times. Thats okay. One is all I need. Given that in the eternal war between cars and bikes - cars will always win in an accident, you need to do whatever you can to improve the odds in your favour. Ride with headlights and tail lights. I can assure you that the one time the strobing head light gets notice may be the one time that its needed and it saves your life as there is never a scorecard where you know about the times it saved you and the near misses your precautionary actions averted. Thats why 19 year olds go to war - its because they believe its the other guy who gets killed. Rather than rely on opinions or pop culture which are really not backed by fact, why not stack the odds in your favour just a ittle bit and add a bike headlight that strobes and also has a changing pattern. As I said one save from a life altering or fatal accident is all I need to justify my use.

Pity there is no slow mo video of that as the view of how the suit came off would be great to see.. I do recall a mate who fell at high speed on water skis having lefty the size of a purple tennis ball and bruises from under his thighs to up his back that were a lurid purple. Nothing broken but the pain was in a whole new league. Water is very hard at high speed.